Representatives of most countries in the world have met in Glasgow, Scotland, to make the necessary decisions in the face of the climate emergency. One of the most important agreements announced is the intention to curb deforestation by 2030. More than 100 countries, including Brazil, the pioneer in deforestation, Jair Bolsonaro, have also signed the agreement. The signatory countries account for 85 per cent of the world ' s forests. Greenpeace and some experts denounce that this commitment is insufficient, not least because they are not going to implement it. “(Bolsonaro) has felt comfortable signing a new convention, because it allows a new decade to destroy forests, which is not binding,” said Greenpeace director Carolina Pasquali.

It should be noted that among the signatories are some of the countries that have so far had the most influence on deforestation. Indonesia, for example, is the main exporter of palm oil, according to data provided on the Internet. This ingredient, present in many food and cosmetic products, destroys the production forests and plunder the lands of indigenous peoples. On the other hand, deforestation in the Amazon has accelerated significantly since Jair Bolsonaro is president of Brazil.

The UK Secretary of the Environment has pointed out that the commitment of the signatories is “positive”: “The last time we tried such an agreement (in 2014) Brazil did not participate, neither Russia nor China”. The large-scale Russian forests contribute each year to the capture of at least 1.5 billion tonnes of carbon on the planet; on this occasion it has committed itself to curbing deforestation.

Public and private investment

The peculiarity of the convention is that money will be made available for the protection of forests and for restocking. Between 2021 and 2025, twelve countries will put their public funds for a total of €10 billion. In addition, 30 private financial institutions will contribute EUR 6 billion.

28 countries will sign a new agreement to reduce pressure on forests and help small farmers. These countries produce and sell around the world 75 per cent of products harmful to forests, such as palm oil, cocoa and soya. The governments of Glasgow have committed themselves to allocating some of the agreed money for the protection of the indigenous peoples of the region.